I May Still Have a Use for You
by number1brawlfan
Summary: James quits Team Rocket because he feels his heart is no longer in it. However after he sneaks his resignation letter into Giovanni's office after hours Team Rocket grunts are sent after him. And while James wants to tag along with Ash and the gang, Ash is bitter towards him and the only person who has an ounce of trust in James is Brock.
1. I Must Resign

**Disclaimer: This is one of two Pokémon fanfics that I wanted to work on. I will be posting the first three chapters of both on here and whichever gets the most feedback after anywhere from one week to one month (depending on how much I get) will be the one I complete first. And I personally don't plan on making both stories any more than 15 chapters.** **I will post the second and third chapter tomorrow. This disclaimer is also on "A Sick Cause".**

 **With that out of the way, welcome to "I May Still Have a Use for You". This is a James centric story that I've been playing around with. Basically, James wants to leave Team Rocket, because his heart is no longer in it. So he resigns (by placing the resignation paper in Giovanni's office), only to find out that Team Rocket grunts are sent to get him. All the while, he wants to sort of join Ash and Gang, only for Ash to be very bitter and untrustworthy towards him. Brock on the other hand wants to and Dawn may be more on Ash's side.**

 **This story takes place during the Sinnoh region adventures.**

* * *

 **I May Still Have a Use for You**

 **Chapter 1: I Must Resign**

"You Idiots!" Giovanni yelled.

Jesse, James, and Meowth flinched. Another mission had resulted in their own failure, and now they were getting the blunt end of another lecture.

"I can't believe this, no, actually, I can believe that you've failed me again." Giovanni pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration. "Get out of my sight."

"Yes sir." The trio agreed, leaving his office.

The trio walked down the hallway, Jesse and Meowth bickering at each other, blaming the other for the team's subsequent failure. James trotted behind them quietly, head looking at the ground, before coming to a silent stop. Jesse and Meowth took a few more steps, still bickering, before stopping when they realized they had lost their depressed teammate and friend.

"Oh, what's wrong now!?" Jesse growled with annoyance.

James flinched and when he didn't answer, hiding his face even more so if possible, Jesse knew something was wrong.

"James?"

He stood there in silence for several moments, worrying his friends, before making eye contact. The indifferent expression on his face spoke volumes.

"I'm quitting Team Rocket." James sighed.

"What!?" Jesse and Meowth gasped.

"You heard me. I'm quitting Team Rocket."

"Why." Jesse questioned.

"If it's because of the mission, don't let it go to your head." Meowth reassured. "There's always next time."

"That's not why. I've been thinking about it for a long time now, and I've come to realize that this is no my calling anymore. My heart isn't in it anymore."

"Think about what you're saying!" Jesse demanded.

"For the first time in a long time, I am Jesse. I can no longer handle this. I'm not like you. You can make something of yourself in this field Jesse. Meowth even more so. I, on the other hand, cannot."

The trio allowed silence to take over, as the lavender haired man's words sunk in. There wasn't a rebuttal to be said at that moment.

"Do you have to?" Jesse finally spoke out.

"Yes." James confirmed. "I have to this toxic environment. Besides, it's not like I plan on cutting my ties with you guys."

James gave a small smile. Seeing that she couldn't change her friends mind, she smiled back before giving James a hug.

"I understand. I may not agree with it, but I understand."

"Yeah, same here." Meowth replie, patting James on the leg. "Just make sure you promise us one thing." Jesse and James looked at him after letting each other out of the embrace. "Just promise that once you're settled, you'll find us. The sooner you find us, the less likely you are to cut us out of your life, right?"

"Of course." James promised with a smile.

* * *

 **Here is the first chapter. I hope it doesn't feel rushed.**


	2. The Resignation Letter

**Here's chapter 2. We have a little bit of action as James decided to submit his resignation letter after hours, at the Team Rocket base.**

* * *

 **Chapter 2: The Resignation Letter**

James decided to sneak his resignation letter in that night. He didn't want to face Giovanni after he exploded on them earlier. Knowing that Giovanni would be out of the office no later than eleven. James made sure to study the schematics for the building. The last thing James wanted to do was arise suspicion and jeopardize, not only his retirement, but Jesse and Meowth's well-being as well.

When eleven o' clock struck, James made his way in. Knowing the cameras and security grunts were now at work, James would be stuck playing hide and seek for a while.

After running down a few hallways, James found a power box. He turned off a switch that should take care of the cameras. He continues his sneaking around when he was almost caught by a grunt, who James quickly knocked out. After a few more hallways, James finally reached Giovanni's office. The coded lock sat there, making sure to keep everyone out after hours. James figured he'd try guessing the code a few time then brought out a small tool to bust the lock open.

Once he got the lock taken care of, the door allowed James to preview the contents inside. He invited himself in. He quickly and gently set the resignation letter on, soon to be former, boss' office. He then swiftly left the office, setting the door and lock back to how he found them.

He got about three quarters of the way to the exit, when another guard grunt caught a glimpse of James out of the corner of his eye. The grunt started to attack James, not knowing it was him. Both parties got a few punches in before James was able to knock the grunt unconscious.

With the grunt out of the way, James was able the base without any problem.

* * *

 **I know this is a relatively short chapter, but there wasn't much I wanted to do with the chapter. I just wanted to James to get in and out relatively quick.**


	3. First Day of Normal Life

**Here's the third chapter.**

* * *

 **Chapter 3: First Day of Normal Life**

James meet his first morning of freedom with some much needed change. He got rid of his Team Rocket uniform in favor for a pair of jeans, a black T-shirt, and a pair of black sneakers. Sure, it wasn't fancy or overly fashionable, but it was simple and comfortable and that's all that mattered to him.

He decided to tour Hearthome City. It was populated, but not bad enough to bother him. He enjoyed seeing people dressed up in the latest Sinnoh fashion as well as families who were walking around with their Pokémon in the park. The Pokémon were enjoying their freedom along with their owners. Inclined to join them, James approached the park worker who was working at the admission table.

"Good morning sir." The man greeted. "Are we here to enjoy the park with one of our Pokémon today?"

"Yes actually." James replied with a smile. "I'd like to make my Carnivine along."

James released the Grass-Type Pokemon, who latched itself onto James head. The worker gave him a shocked and worried stare, to which James assured it was okay and that his Carnivine did this on a regular basis.

"That'll be twenty dollars." The worker admitted.

"Alright." James accepted, handing the employee the exact amount of money.

"Have a nice time in the park. Enjoy."

"Thank you."

He and his Carnivine enjoyed a stroll around the park. Carnivine found items ranging from berries to contest items to items like potions. At around noon, James and Carnivine stopped for lunch. James got a hot dog from one of the hot dog venders and Carnivine devoured the PokéFood James got for it.

Once done, the duo enjoyed another hour of fun at the park, before James had to end their fun. He called his Pokémon back into its ball and decided to walk around the town some more.

He was about to enter a store when he saw two Team Rocket grunts inside. He was shocked, wondering what they were doing there. Shock turned to worry when the two grunts were showing a picture of James to people, asking if they had seen him.

James ran off before the grunts could catch him. 'Why are they looking for me?' He wondered in a panic. He wasn't paying attention to his surroundings when he ran into someone, knocking them over.

"Sorry." James apologized getting up. "I'm in a hurry and I wasn't paying attention."

"It's okay." The person replied getting up as well.

It took a moment, but when James looked at the person he knocked over, who was with two other people, James gasped.

"Twerp?" James realized.

"James!?" Ash gasped.

* * *

 **Here we have the last of the first three chapters. If this story gets the most recognition, I will finish this one then A Sick Cause. I know his outfit is relatively simple but I couldn't think of anything else at the moment so I went with something that I thought wouldn't be too over the top. And the Reason I used Carnivine over Mime Jr. is because I wanted to and plus it give James a little bit of love from his Grass Type and it makes for a little bit of humor as to how someone might react when they see Carnivine giving James some affection.**


	4. Surprises

**So it's been about a month, and after tallying the reviews, follows, and favorites for this story and A Sick Cause. This one seems to be the winner (they both have an equal amount of total reviews, follows and favorites, but this story has the most views). I have a few chapters written up so they need to be typed.**

* * *

The four youths and the two wondering Pokemon were at a standstill.

"What are you doing here?" Ash growled.

James was about to give a reply when he heard voices in the distance. He recognized said voices from the grunts traveling in Hearthome. Without a second thought, James bolted, which confused Ash, Brock, Dawn, and the Pokemon.

"What was that all about?" Ash asked as they watched James disappear.

"Your guess is as good as mine." Dawn replied.

Once James knew he was in the clear, he stopped to take a breather. 'That was surprising.' James stated. 'Then again this is that twerps I'm talking about. And I've ran into them more than once.' James shook his head and started walking. 'But that shouldn't be my main concern. Those grunts are looking for me, for whatever reason.' James looked at his surroundings before checking the time. 'Five o' clock already? I should probably find a place to stay for the night … and get something for dinner.'

James pulled out his map to see where he should go for the night, without being detected easily. Solaecon was too small. Pastoria, as much as he'd like to go and see the safari zone, was also out. Mostly because of the fact that James didn't want to get caught up with the commotion of the upcoming wrestling match that the city's Gym Leader was attending. Oreburgh had its perks, but James wasn't into the mining portion of the city at that moment. The only option left that was remotely close was Veilstone, so that's where he decided he had to go. Plus, the city was populated enough not to stand out. Unfortunately, it was a bit of a walk, and he couldn't guarantee that he could get there by nightfall, but it was worth a try.

Not wasting anymore time, James started his hike to Veilstone. After tracking a few miles, James ran into a track runner out for a routine jog.

"Excuse me." James called, making the runner stop. "I'm relatively unfamiliar with the area, and I was wondering if there's a way to shorten a travel to Veilstone? I want to get there as soon as possible."

"Yeah. There is actually." She replied. "So consider yourself in luck. There's a train station not too far from here. Right between Veilstone and Solaecon. I'll show you." James pulled out his map and she pointed it out to him. "It only an hour train ride, but I would hurry if I were you. The train will arrive there soon and it leaves at six. It's about a half-hour's walk from here so I'd start running."

"Thank you. I appreciate it."

The jogger nodded and continued on her trail, allowing James to start his own jog to the train station. He was in luck, he arrived in the nick of time. Once aboard, the train started going and helped speed up his travel and lessen his travel time. Just like the jogger had told him, it only took an hour and the train pulled into Veilstone at seven, so he was able to get a bite to eat.

He went to a small family restaurant that was only a few blocks away from a hotel that he planned to stay at. It was a quaint restaurant and the food was delicious. After he finished eating and paid for the meal, he went to the hotel.

James got a full night rest, waking up the following morning refreshed. James was then finally able to let the last few days really sink in. He realized that he was alone, and he wondered what he was going to do next. Where was he going to go? James' stomach growled, not letting him think of any solutions until it was filled.

James decided to clean the room up, even though he had a feeling that there was a chance he would still come back later, so he decided to keep the key for the time being. He then exited the hotel wondering where to go for breakfast. So he decided to walk around the town, looking at his map of the city for suggestions.

"James?!" Two voices gasped.

James looked up from his map to see who was calling him, only to let out a surprising gasp.

"Nanny? Pop-pop?" James gasped.

* * *

 **Yet another somewhat cliffhanger. I've also come to realize that this story may not hit the 15 chapter maximum, but I'm going to try to get it to at least ten or eleven. I currently have up to chapter 6 written, but with everything else that I have planed they may only last a few (3-5) chapters, not a whole nine chapters, and I don't want it feeling like it would drag on.**


	5. You Should Go With Them

**Bringing in Nanny and Pop-pop for guidance.**

* * *

 **Chapter 5: You Should Go With Them**

After the initial surprise passed, James and his Nanny and Pop-pop decided to go to a café for breakfast. They wanted to catch up from when they had all seen each other last. Luckily for James, his parents would not be joining them. They were apparently on yet another cruise, with Jessabelle of all people. Nanny and Pop-pop also told James that the reason they were in Veilstone was to take a small vacation, feeling that they deserved it after all their hard work recently.

"But if you're here, than who's watching all of the Pokémon?" James asked with slight concern.

"There's not need to worry James." Nanny comforted. "It's taken care of."

"There's a young gentleman who lives just down the street, Jacob is his name, who is watching over them." Pop-pop added.

"Is he reliable?" James questioned.

"Of course he is." Nanny confirmed. "We've had him over several times before. He is very reliable and the Pokémon love having him around. Even your Chimecho loves him."

James couldn't help but smile at the memory of his Chimecho, who he had to leave behind due to Chimecho falling ill. It was nice to hear about it since James did miss his Chimecho.

"How is Chime?" James asked.

"Good. Your Chimecho made a full recovery and it has been a joy to have around." Nanny stated.

James couldn't be any happier. Unfortunately, his current predicament reared its depressing head. His expression changed so drastically that Nanny and Pop-pop started to worry.

"But enough about us," Nanny decided, "what about you? What's going on?"

"Is everything okay?" Pop-pop asked.

"It's nothing. I'm fine." James tried explaining.

"If it were nothing you wouldn't be so down. What's up?"

James knew he wasn't going to get much farther trying to deny it. So instead, he told his loving guardians what had been going on since they had last seen each other. Team Rocket. The failures. Quitting Team Rocket. Everything. He explained how he felt lost and he wasn't sure what to do next.

"Well what about those kids that we meet?" Pop-pop inquired. "You know, the ones who brought in the sick Munchlax."

"Yeah, like they would take me in." James responded a little too bitterly. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean for it to come out like that. It's just, I've caused so much trouble that I find it unlikely that they would trust me."

"James. Honey." Nanny called. "You may have made some bad choices, but you are the kindest, sweetest, and most good natured person we know. We know you are a good person."

"You're just saying that because you love me." James sighed with a laugh.

"That may be, but we know you, and we know what you're like. We know you can do this."

"What if they don't believe me?"

"Then it's their loss. They don't know what they'd be missing out on. Just remember, our door is always open, and if things don't work out, we'll be ready to welcome you with open arms."

* * *

 **So I have the story finished. It did come out to ten chapters, which I'm fine with, because I don't want to stretch it out too much.**


	6. You Cannot Join Us

**Chapter 6 is here. Sorry if it's a little shorter then the others, but I didn't have much to put in this chapter.**

* * *

 **Chapter 6: You Cannot Join Us**

After being well feed with a hearty breakfast, James bid his Nanny and Pop-pop adieu. They went their separate ways, and James found himself taking their words to heart. He thought that maybe he should travel with the twerps. It wasn't like Team Rocket was going to be searching for him forever, or at least they shouldn't be. The only question would be where he could find the twerps. As easy as it was to, intentionally, run into them with Jessie and Meowth, accidentally running into them would be more of a stretch, especially for a second time in a row.

However, the brisk walk that James found himself on, proved how lucky he would be. Ash, Brock, Dawn, Pikachu, and Piplup were just waltzing into Veilstone. James followed them, not wanting to reveal himself to them in a populated area and cause a scene. He followed them until they reached a quieter, less populated side of the city when he decided to reveal himself to them.

"What are you doing here?" Ash growled. "If you're here for Pikachu, or all of our Pokémon, forget it."

"That's not what I'm here for." James defensively assured. "I'm actually here because I have defected from Team Rocket and I would like to travel with you twerps."

They all gasped in surprise at his declaration, but they definitely had their doubts. Ash being the one with the most disbelief.

"Yeah right." Ash spat. "You're just saying that so that we'll trust you, and when our backs are turned, you'll steal all of our Pokémon."

"It's true. I've abandoned my life of crime that was linked to Team Rocket because my heart is no longer in it and I no longer wish to be a part of their crimes."

The disbelief was still ever present, but some doubt in that disbelief was secretly there, in the form of Brock. James stood there, confused but hopeful, wondering how they would respond.

"Even if what you said is true, why would we risk our safety by taking you along? We overheard about how Team Rocket was looking for a 'tall, green eyed youth with shoulder length lavender hair."

"They can't search for me forever. They'll give up eventually."

"Well we deny your request. Now go away. Now!"

James was about to protest when Ash yelled at him again, this time even louder. Seeing that he wouldn't get any farther arguing with the trainer, James respected Ash's wish and left them alone. Little did James know, he did manage to make a dent, and was being observed by concerned eye

* * *

 **Brock will be a force of reason in the next few chapters. He will be the one who wants to see James for more than just a Team Rocket member.**


	7. He's Telling the Truth

**I hope I didn't make Ash sound too bitter/untrustworthy. I know there's going to be a bit of that in the coming chapters. And I don't know if that would be considered bashing too much. If it is then fine, but I can't say that I'm much of an Ash basher ^^; and Dawn is just kind of going along with it. I know for sure that I didn't want her to be bitter, which is why she isn't saying much about it yet.**

* * *

 **Chapter 7: He's Telling the Truth**

Ash stormed off in the opposite direction that James went, Dawn following close behind, not knowing what to think about what had just occurred. Brock followed along with them, and eventually worked his way up to Ash, his face expressing slight irritation.

"He's telling the truth." Brock stated, breaking the silence.

"You've got to be kidding me." Ash replied with annoyance in his voice. "You can't seriously say that you believe what James said, can you? Brock, he's a member of Team Rocket. With all of our experience with that organization, and all the people from there that we've met, how can we possible trust this one member over all of the others? Let me answer that, we can't."

"Look …" Brock stood in front of Ash, blocking the boy's path causing him to stop, "I know they haven't been the most trustworthy people we've meet, but if I pride myself of anything, it's my judge of character and ability to tell when someone is lying. And I'll have you know, James was not lying."

"You don't know that for sure though Brock. He could be a very persuasive liar, and I don't want to take that chance. We're done talking about it, now let's go. We don't need Dawn to be late for her contest."

Ash walked around Brock and continued to stomp off towards the contest hall. Brock gave Dawn a reassuring smile so she wouldn't worry, as she went to catch up with Ash. She was a little frazzled by her friends' argument, but Brock's smile eased her a little bit. Once she wasn't looking, Brock forced himself to catch up with them. While he wasn't upset with Dawn, he was in a foul mood thanks to Ash and his bitterness.

They made it to the contest hall in time, and Dawn went to get herself prepared, leaving behind what she believed to be an alright atmosphere with her friends. Ash and Brock went looking for seats once she had gotten herself to the dressing room. While Dawn was somewhat oblivious to Brock's emotional stress, Ash could tell that the Gym Leader was still bothered. Ash tried to explain himself and his reasoning to Brock, hoping it would relieve his annoyance and calm him down. Brock however, was still annoyed, not letting Ash know what he truly thought, as he told Ash he didn't want to hear it since Ash was willing to brush aside his side of the argument. Brock had to excuse himself, letting Ash know he needed to get some air and to let some steam out, and left the contest hall.

Brock knew he would have to get over his aggravation since he and Ash were good friends, but he knew excusing himself was the best thing to do. He know he would find Ash and Dawn later, of which he let Ash know. He let the sights and sounds of Veilstone help take his mind off of things. From what Brock could tell, lunch hour was coming to an end, as people were going about their regularly planned day. Some were going to work, others home, and some exploring the city for what they needed and/or wanted. While observing his surroundings, Brock managed to catch a glimpse of a lavender lump curled up on a nearby bench.

* * *

 **Yeah in two chapters there will be a bit more of what Brock has to say with Ash's bitterness, but as of the next chapter, we'll have a little bit of James and Brock friendly bonding time.**


	8. Let's Talk

**Here we have probably the longest chapter, and some nice insight into the mind of Brock.**

* * *

 **Chapter 8: Let's Talk**

With the twerps denying his request, and refusing to accept him, James found himself at a standstill. He was taking another brisk walk through Veilstone, not sure what he should do next. He thought about how he could take Nanny and Pop-pop's offer and stay with them. He couldn't help but wonder if Team Rocket would look for him there, if they haven't already, and he didn't want to put the people he cared for through that. However, there was a possibility that they either looked there already, or that by the time he got there, they were no longer looking for him, so that was a plus. The only other concern would be the chance his estranged parents would come and visit, bringing along his "bride to be" Jessabelle. That would be a reasonable reason for his Nanny and Pop-pop to hide him, but it would be annoying to say the least. That would be find at the end of the day though, and he couldn't really think of anywhere else to go.

James decided to sit on a bench, letting his tired feet get some rest. He noticed that Veilstone was starting to get populated, a sign that lunch hour had finally came to a close, and people were returning to their lives. The thought occurred to James that he could stay in Veilstone. It was populated enough for him to blend in, and even if Team Rocket came here to look for him here, he would keep to himself so that no one would be able to point him out. James brought his knees to his chest and watched everyone walking around.

"Hey there stranger." A voice greeted.

James turned to see Brock standing next to the bench. James was curiously surprised.

"You looked lonely, so I thought you could use some company."

James looked at him confused, as Brock sat down next to him.

"Don't worry, I'm not going to hurt you. I'm alone, and Ash doesn't even know that I'm here. So let's talk."

Finally accepting that Brock wasn't going to harm him in any way, James smiled, nodding in approval.

"Lovely day, isn't it?" Brock stated.

"Yeah," James replied, looking at the sky, "but I think we might get some rain later."

"Maybe."

It was silent for a moment.

"Look, I want to apologize for Ash's behavior." Brock admitted. "I'm a little irritated with him at the moment, so I don't know why I should be apologizing for him right now, but I am his friend, so I know that I should when he won't. He's just being difficult, like most kids his age."

"It's okay twerp. I can't say I blame him."

"Brock." The Gym Leader corrected with a chuckle. "You can call me Brock."

"Okay, Brock. Still, I'm not going to blame him, knowing my record. I probably should have thought my plan through a little more."

"Not necessarily. Sure, it could have been better, but you did well with what you had. Besides, you did get through to one of us."

James gave him a confused look.

"I believe you."

James gave look of slight surprise then gave a nod.

"I'll admit, I was a little cautious myself at first. However, after hearing what you had to say and I thought about it, I came to realize something."

"And what did you realize?"

"That while you were troublesome and an overall pain in the butt to deal with, no offense …"

"None taken." James chuckled knowing that Brock wasn't wrong.

"You always were the only one with the biggest heart. I'll be honest, there were times I found myself wondering why you were even a member of Team Rocket to begin with. Especially during those times when we called a truce. So when you said that you had left Team Rocket, it made sense."

"You're right. I want to start over, and it was my Nanny and Pop-pop who suggested that I go with you guys. Probably because of you guys were so nice and had a positive aura."

The two continued talking for a while. They wanted to get each other more and even allowed their Pokémon to come out to make friends with each other. It took a while, but they did, and Brock wasn't even fazed by Carnivine's affectionately biting James' head.

After an hour or so, they decided to find Ash and Dawn. The contest was probably over and Brock's aggravation had finally subsided. Brock also felt that it was time to try integrating James into the group again.

"I want to thank you for giving me a chance." James admitted.

"No problem." Brock replied with a smile. "I'll be there to help out. I know there's a chance that Ash may still deny you, but I'll vouch for you."

"And what if he doesn't accept me period."

"Then I guess he's too blind to see the truth, and I'd suggest taking your Nanny and Pop-pop's offer. I doubt it'll come to that, but if it does, I'll stay in contact with you."

* * *

 **I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter. I thought that this chapter was one of the most important chapters.**


	9. Captured

**Alright, moving along, we've got chapter 9. Now I wanted to make the encounter with Ash and Dawn not as dialogue heavy (meaning, I didn't want to go overboard with quotation/I didn't want a lot of "Something," he said kind of stuff).**

* * *

 **Chapter 9: Captured**

Brock found Ash and Dawn exited the contest hall. Apparently the judges decided to provide lunch due to the length of the contest and the fact that it went over Veilstone's usual lunch hour. Dawn was the runner up. She had just barely missed coming home with another ribbon. It was down to a wire and a point drop at the last second. Brock congradutated her none the less, stating that at least she got in second place and not last place. Brock than brought Ash and Dawn aside, claiming that he wanted to talk to them about something.

He brought them over to where he and James had been hanging out. Brock started to explain what he had been doing since he walked away from the contest hall, but when Ash and Dawn saw James, Ash was instantly infuriated. He exploded on Brock and started to yell at him. Ash started to accuse Brock off betraying his trust, while still claiming to reject James' request. James was at a loss of words, wanting to get his two cents in, but Brock stepped in on his behalf. The two debated their sides loudly, leaving both James and Dawn stuck in the middle.

"Look, I know you like to see the good in people Brock," Dawn stated, "but I kind of have to side with Ash on this. You did go behind his back with this."

"Dawn, I know you don't want to be involved in this, and I know you want to go with what you feel is right," Brock admitted, "but I need you to stay out of this. I know the only reason you're siding with Ash is because you guys have such good chemistry together, but I've traveled with Ash since the beginning, and I know him well enough to know when he's wrong. And he's wrong about James. I talked with him, got to know him, and can confirm that what he says is true. I know you guys could see it if you guys would just open your eyes to the opportunity."

"I can't take this." James admitted, finally deciding to excuse himself from an argument he no longer wished to be a part of. "I've got to go. I'm sorry Brock."

"James, don't go." Brock pleaded. "I can convince them."

"It's okay. It's not going anywhere, and it probably won't for a while. I don't want to ruin your friendship with these two. I can go to my Nanny and Pop-pop's while this blows over. I promise to keep in touch, okay?"

Brock let out a sigh of defeat.

"Alright, at least they will open their doors for you." Brock bitterly sighed.

James nodded. He turned his back on his newly made friend, Brock's friends, and their wondering Pokémon and started to make his way out of Veilstone. Brock watched in sadness, but he knew he couldn't stop James. However, the bitterness towards Ash and Dawn, Ash especially, would definitely fester for a while.

James first made a stop at the hotel he was staying at, to return the key. He quietly made his way out of the city. He travelled with a sad smile, holding his Carnivine's Pokéball in his hand.

"We're going to see Nanny and Pop-pop." James told his Grass Type. "You haven't seen them in a while, but I know they would love to see you again."

James flinched when he heard rustling coming from a nearby set of bushes. James returned his Carnivine's ball to the Pokéball holder on his belt, and looked around.

"Who's there?" James asked, receiving no reply. "Come out now!"

James kept a stern look as the bushed continued to make noise, as the mysterious visitors made themselves known. To James' horror, two Team Rocket Grunts walked out along with their shared Vileplume.

"Giovanni wishes to see you." The female grunt stated.

"Why?" James growled. "I resigned. What could he possible want with me now?"

"Apparently you did something that caught his attention, and he wants to see you in order to address it." The male grunt answered. "We're allowed to use force. That is, unless you decide to come along willingly."

"Never!"

James turned in another direction, starting to walk away.

"Have it your way." The male grunt sighed.

"Vileplume, you're up." The female grunt stated, and the floral Pokémon prepared to attack. "Use Sleep Powder."

The Pokémon summoned a whitish blue powder and forced it in James' direction. The powder shrouded James and forced him to lose consciousness and fall to the ground. The two grunts approached James, Bound him, and carried him to the transportation that would take them to their assigned destination.

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 **I don't know why, but for whatever reason I didn't want to make Dawn as inherently mean as Ash was. I guess I just didn't want her being at fault as much as Ash. I mean I haven't watch much of the Sinnoh stuff, so I guess I didn't want to go overboard. And I was originally going to have the female grunt send out a Golbat and have it use Hypnosis, but I realized that I didn't include their Meowth/Raticate, so I decided to go with a Vileplume.**


	10. Use for You

**Here is the last chapter. This chapter is probably the most important considering the fact that this chapter was the first to really be brainstormed. What really stared this story was a drawing I made that's on DeviantArt. And on that drawing I made a little quote in the description that I had Giovanni make. That quote is in here (albeit edited).**

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 **Chapter 10: Use for You**

James was standing in the middle of Giovanni's office, hands tied behind his back, and a look of distain on his face. Two grunts were guarding the door. James just watched as his "former" boss started circling him.

"If this were any given day, I would have been leaping for joy because one of you twits finally resigned." Giovanni stated. "I might have even thrown a party. I'll be honest, you were my first guess. However, the very nature of your resignation compels me. You snuck into my office in the dead of night to deliver your letter of resignation to me. You did this all because you were too afraid to face me in person. You snuck passed several floors of security grunts and a number of cameras. You did this all on your own. I applaud the skills you used to do so, the stealth you used and the knowledge of the buildings map at your figure tips. Now you may be wondering how I know all of this. It's really quite simple actually. Unfortunately, the guard you disarmed told me what happened to him and a camera caught your escape. You were stupid enough to get caught, but by doing so, I found myself realizing something. I may still have a use for you yet."

James just stared at Giovanni, processing everything that the Team Rocket boss had just said.

"Do you have something to say?" Giovanni inquired.

James just remained silent, refusing to say a word. If Giovanni was annoyed, he refused to show it.

"Alright, be that way, but considered yourself reinstated to Team Rocket, so welcome back. The rules have been slightly changed for you. You will be confound, taught to properly use your 'special' skills, and will take missions that you will complete alone. I will make sure that you won't disobey me and turn you into a reliable member of Team Rocket. And don't even get me started on what I could do to those twits if they try to corrupt a useful agent."

James finally showed a response, flinching at Giovanni's threat to harm Jessie and Meowth.

"Don't hurt them." James demanded with slight fear in his voice.

"So he finally speaks. Don't worry, I won't hurt them, so long as you do my bidding that is. This is a wonderful time for you to have a restart. Take him away."

The two grunts guarding the door nodded and followed their boss' request, grabbing a now anxious James. He tried to escape their grasp, but failed as they dragged James back to the cell he had once been held in, ending the freedom to a once kindhearted James.

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 **I'm sorry if this story seems short, but it was only meant to cover what I had written. I'd like to thank everyone who's read, reviewed, followed, and/or added this to there faves. I hop you all enjoyed it =)**


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